Petronet LNG profit jumps 53% to 1,235 crore rupees in second quarter
Key Facts
Petronet LNG increased its profit before tax and profit after tax by 53% in the second quarter of fiscal 2026-27, to 1,659 crore rupees and 1,235 crore rupees, respectively, the company said in its results disclosure. Profit before tax compared with 1,083 crore rupees in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year, while profit after tax rose from 806 crore rupees. The company said second-quarter profit before and after tax were the highest it had recorded for any second quarter in its history. The results reflect a significant year-on-year improvement in both key profitability measures during the period. The company attributed the growth in its financial performance to commercial and operational efficiency.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, profit before tax rose to 1,659 crore rupees from 1,514 crore in the first quarter of 2026-27. Profit after tax increased to 1,235 crore rupees from 1,133 crore in the previous period, according to the figures in the disclosure. The comparison shows improvement between consecutive quarters, alongside the year-on-year growth announced by the company. The 53% annual increase was the comparison Petronet highlighted when announcing its quarterly results. The quarter-on-quarter comparison puts current profits above first-quarter levels for both profit before tax and profit after tax.
The company processed 231 TBTU of liquefied natural gas in the second quarter, up 12% from 207 TBTU in the first quarter. Year on year, the increase was only 1%, with volume at 228 TBTU in the second quarter of 2025-26. This means processing volume growth was stronger compared with the previous quarter than with the corresponding quarter a year earlier. The company did not attribute profit growth solely to processing volume; it linked the improvement in financial performance to commercial and operational efficiency. In its disclosure, it said growth in the quarter and first half was achieved "through commercial and operational efficiency."
At the Dahej terminal, Petronet LNG processed about 216 TBTU of liquefied natural gas in the quarter, compared with 192 TBTU in the first quarter and 211 TBTU in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Terminal capacity utilisation was 73%, versus 66% in the previous quarter and 92% a year earlier. The company said capacity utilisation for the current and previous quarters is calculated on the basis of the terminal's expanded nameplate capacity, which rose to 22.5 million tonnes per year from 17.5 million tonnes per year. The year-on-year percentage comparison therefore comes against a higher nameplate capacity following the expansion. Across the company as a whole, capacity utilisation was 64% in the quarter, compared with 58% in the previous quarter and 78% in the corresponding quarter last year.
For the first half ended September 30, 2026, profit before tax was 3,174 crore rupees and profit after tax was 2,368 crore, up 43% year on year for each. The company had recorded profit before tax of 2,219 crore rupees and profit after tax of 1,656 crore rupees in the corresponding half of 2025-26. The first-half figures confirm that the financial improvement extended beyond the second quarter, while annual growth remained below the quarterly year-on-year increase reported for the quarter. The performance combines higher first-half profits with increased processing volume, and the company said commercial and operational efficiency supported results in both periods. The disclosure available here did not provide further detail on the components of that efficiency.
Following the results announcement, the company's board approved an interim dividend of 7 rupees per share. The company linked the dividend decision to performance, saying the board approved it "in recognition of the performance." The decision adds an interim return for shareholders alongside the announcement of the highest profits the company has recorded for any second quarter. The disclosure specified the dividend per share, but the information available here did not include further details on its record or payment date. The approval concludes a set of results covering quarterly profits, first-half figures, processing volumes and capacity utilisation.